Snow makes way for Cupid on Valentines Day

MASSENA  A winter storm that dumped nearly a foot of snow in the Massena area wasnt enough to prevent local businesses from reaping the benefits Cupid brings each year on Valentines Day.

At Peets Jewelers, Jeramy P. Peets said with the storm letting up Friday afternoon, it made for a busier afternoon.

It started out a little bit slow, but now that everyone is dug out, theyre coming down, he said at about 3:30 p.m.

Mr. Peets, who co-owns the store with his father and sister, said that when he woke up Friday morning and saw the snow that already had accumulated combined with the heavy snow that still was falling, he was afraid Mother Nature was going to hurt business.

I was thinking, Its going to really hurt us, but since the snow has stopped at the end of the day, all it is going to do is make for a busier afternoon, he said.

Among those shopping in the store Friday afternoon was Darren D. Deragon of Massena.

Mr. Deragon said he usually doesnt wait until the last minute to purchase gifts, but this year his wife said he shouldnt buy her anything.

She told me not to buy her anything, but I figured I still better, he said before picking out a necklace.

Daniel DeLorme at the Lobster House in Norwood said the weather did lead to some cancellations, but the restaurant had no problem filling the spots.

Weve had cancellations, but weve had a lot of people call in, he said. We still turned down a lot of people. Were still completely full.

Mr. DeLorme said the restaurant actually had been fully booked for close to a week, with the 5 to 8 p.m. reservations going the fastest.

We get a couple hundred calls every day, he said.

But despite being filled for the night, Mr. DeLorme said, Valentines Day isnt even the restaurants busiest day of the year.

Its the second or third busiest day, he said. Mothers Day is the busiest day by far, especially because of the (college) graduations up here.

No matter how busy it gets, he said, the staff is accustomed to handling large crowds, with enough servers, bussers and kitchen staff on hand to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Weve been doing this for over 20 years, he said. Saturday nights are usually pretty packed.

Violis also was expecting a busy evening.

Ross Violi, who co-owns the restaurant with his brother, Dominic, said that although the restaurant did experience some cancellations, it was going to be busy until late Friday.

Were going to be right straight out until 11 p.m. tonight, he said, adding that many of the people who canceled Friday rescheduled for today.

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